They are FANGS, that’s the name of their band, but they are not……..AC/DC!
What they are, are pushers of the Nu-New Wave movement. Producing ‘distorted disco,’ music is what it’s all about and following their successful run to the Top 10 bands in this year’s T4 Orange Unsigned Band, they release their exciting and dance-inducing single on the King Tuts label.
‘S.I.C.K.O.’ is a dirty, scuzzy and sleazy sounding single that will have glam rockers bouncing and sliding across the dancefloor. Played ‘live’ it is accompanied by the band’s overtly camp posing and pouting and this is worth remembering as you listen to the track on your headphones. You don’t merely ‘listen’ to Fangs, you ‘experience’ them!
As you may expect from a band that does not have a lead / rhythm guitar, there is a huge reliance on the bass sound to drive the track along. This is overlaid with dark synth lines as ‘The Queen’ alternates her vocals from the deep and threatening to a spoken-rap style. The “Oh-oh, oh-oh” lead into the chorus may not exactly impress the judges on the Ivor Novello Award panel, but it sure as hell gives the listener something hugely catchy to get hold of.
A five minute re-mix by the famed John Disco also appears on the single along with what amounts to as the band’s ‘signature’ song ‘AC/DC’. For me, this is the stronger track. It is quicker in pace and still mixes the danceable beats with at times an almost sinister feel. Again, The Queen’s vocal delivery is rap-like and the bass and drums are prominent enough to suggest that this would a prime candidate for a really classy drum ‘n’ bass re-mix. (It’s probably not ‘cool’ to say this, but love them or loath them, the Ting Tings have achieved incredible success in a short space of time and within this particular track, between the kick-drum and The Queen’s vocal style / diction, there are momentary flashbacks to last summer.)
All in all, this is a superb debut from a band with great potential. Catch them live if you get the chance.